Simplify Healthcare and Maker’s Merci Partner to Support HeartStrings Foundation With Guitar Donations
In a unique act of corporate philanthropy blending music, technology, and community impact, Simplify Healthcare partnered with its not-for-profit affiliate, Maker’s Merci, to support the HeartStrings Foundation—an organization dedicated to harnessing the power of music to heal those facing trauma and life-changing challenges.
The collaboration was showcased at Connect 2025, Simplify Healthcare’s annual event, where employees came together to build eight guitars from kits. These instruments were later donated to HeartStrings Foundation to be distributed across programs such as 6 String Heroes, 50/50/50, and Heroes Circle. Each of these initiatives aims to provide veterans, active service members, first responders, and their families with music as a source of connection, recovery, and hope.
This initiative highlights Simplify Healthcare’s broader commitment to community service, reaching far beyond its core focus on healthcare technology solutions. By linking innovation with compassion, the company demonstrates how business and not-for-profit partnerships can create lasting social impact.
Building Guitars, Building Hope
During Connect 2025, Simplify Healthcare’s employees stepped away from their usual work in digital transformation, data platforms, and healthcare process innovation to engage in something entirely different: assembling guitars. For many, it was their first time constructing a musical instrument. The process itself became symbolic—requiring patience, teamwork, and creativity, much like the healing journey the guitars were destined to support.
The activity was not only a team-building exercise but also a powerful reminder of the human stories behind the instruments. Each guitar, once complete, represented a message of encouragement to someone struggling with the invisible wounds of war, loss, or trauma.
According to the HeartStrings Foundation, these instruments are distributed through carefully designed programs that reach those who need them most. For example:
- 6 String Heroes focuses on U.S. military veterans, providing them with guitars and lessons as part of their rehabilitation process.
- 50/50/50 delivers 50 guitars across 50 states within 50 days, spreading music therapy nationwide.
- Heroes Circle supports children and families dealing with trauma, offering guitars as tools for emotional healing and resilience.
By donating guitars to these initiatives, Simplify Healthcare and Maker’s Merci are directly supporting pathways of recovery, growth, and self-expression.
Leadership Voices: Music as a Bridge
The significance of the initiative was underscored by Simplify Healthcare’s leadership. Mohammed Vaid, CEO and Chief Solution Architect of Simplify Healthcare and Founding Patron of Maker’s Merci, emphasized the unifying nature of music:
Music is a universal language that brings people together, and through this initiative, we are proud to give back in a way that supports resilience and healing. Our collaboration with HeartStrings Foundation reflects our commitment to community impact beyond technology and healthcare innovation.
Vaid’s statement reflects an important trend in corporate culture—companies are increasingly recognizing the need to go beyond profit-making activities and engage in causes that strengthen communities. For Simplify Healthcare, the act of building guitars was not just about donation, but about human connection and acknowledging the struggles faced by veterans and their families.
HeartStrings Foundation founder Rowan Pickering also shared his appreciation:
We believe deeply in the power of music to heal, to connect, and to give strength where it’s needed most. Seeing the Simplify Healthcare team come together at Connect 2025 to build guitars for veterans, first responders, and their families was truly moving. Each guitar carries a message of hope and unity.
Pickering’s words reflect the essence of the foundation’s mission: turning music into medicine for the soul. His remarks also highlight how partnerships with corporate entities like Simplify Healthcare help scale the foundation’s impact.
The Healing Power of Music
The collaboration between Simplify Healthcare, Maker’s Merci, and HeartStrings Foundation draws attention to a growing body of research and practice around music therapy. Studies have shown that engaging with music—whether through listening, playing, or creating—can significantly reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and even physical pain. For veterans with PTSD, playing guitar can provide an outlet for self-expression, grounding, and a sense of accomplishment.
HeartStrings Foundation has long advocated for these benefits. By providing free guitars and lessons, the foundation ensures that individuals who may not otherwise have access to music therapy can still reap its healing potential. Veterans and service members, who often carry emotional scars invisible to the outside world, can find a renewed sense of purpose and identity through music.
In this light, the eight guitars built at Connect 2025 are not just instruments; they are tools for emotional resilience, therapy, and community building.
Beyond Healthcare: A Broader Corporate Vision
For Simplify Healthcare, the initiative aligns with its evolving philosophy of leadership. Known primarily for delivering digital transformation and automation solutions to healthcare organizations, the company has consistently emphasized efficiency, data transparency, and innovation. However, through Maker’s Merci, it is also building a track record of social responsibility initiatives.
Maker’s Merci was founded as a platform to channel philanthropic efforts and amplify community impact. By focusing on projects that extend kindness and support to those in need, it bridges the gap between technology-driven business success and grassroots social good.
This guitar-building project stands as a testament to the organization’s belief that corporate responsibility is not an afterthought but a core part of its identity. Through this initiative, employees were able to experience first-hand how their actions outside the workplace could directly improve lives.
Connect 2025: More Than a Conference
While Connect 2025 primarily serves as a platform for innovation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing in healthcare technology, this year’s event expanded into something more profound. By incorporating the guitar-building activity into the agenda, Simplify Healthcare ensured that participants left not only with professional insights but also with a sense of personal contribution.
Employees described the experience as energizing and rewarding, reinforcing a culture of empathy and teamwork within the organization. In many ways, the project mirrored Simplify Healthcare’s core mission: solving complex problems with human-centered solutions.
A Ripple Effect of Kindness
The impact of the guitar donation will ripple far beyond the event itself. Each guitar placed into the hands of a veteran, first responder, or family member becomes part of a much larger story—one of resilience, solidarity, and recovery. Music, in this context, becomes more than entertainment; it becomes a lifeline.
Simplify Healthcare’s initiative is likely to inspire other organizations to explore similar projects. The collaboration demonstrates how corporate events can double as community service opportunities, blending business objectives with social responsibility.
As the guitars make their way into the programs supported by HeartStrings Foundation, they will carry with them the spirit of Connect 2025: collaboration, creativity, and compassion.
